WHY DO ROMANIANS TAKE TO THE STREETS? A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ROMANIA'S 2016- 2017 PROTESTS
WHY DO ROMANIANS TAKE TO THE STREETS? A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ROMANIA'S 2016- 2017 PROTESTS

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to analyse, both spatially and numerically, the protests that occurred in Romania between January 2016, immediately after the 2016 Parliamentary Elections and the attempt of the new elected party to change Romania’s constitution and legislations, and October 2017, triggered by several consecutive corruption acts. Methodologically, the analysis is based on a set of data provided by the Public Relations Department of the Romanian Gendarmerie. The statistical and cartographical analysis are focused on the main characteristics of the protests: place and triggering factors. Most protests (97%) take place in urban areas, and, during the analysed time frame, the following typologies are identified: Political System (59%), Economic Justice (37%), Human Rights (3%), Social Events (1%). The statistical model that resulted from the logistical regression is a strong predictor of the studied events, with a determination factor of 0.98, the main factors being the share of population with university studies, public expenses on healthcare, culture and education, as well as the unemployment rate, showing a high participation rate for the population with higher education that are living in areas where the authorities investment in culture and healthcare is significant. The results obtained through an interdisciplinary approach (geography, politics, statistics) improve the methodological matrix of mono-disciplinary studies and facilitate the inclusion in the same topic of experts from diverse domains.

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